Strong Spirit, Weak Body
by TutuAndJo
Summary: ‘Funny, a contract was what got me into the debt I now own, and another contract is what will get me out of it.’
1. Chapter 1

This one's from Tutu

Okay all, you have been waiting diligently and patiently for my next set of stories. Since this is going to be on a game that isn't even _out _yet, it's going to be really hard to make. If you have any information about the setting or characters that I need to correct in this story, please send me a post message or e-mail. I know how much you guys hate OC's but take a deep breath and please read on, even if the spelling turns you off :] Now let's get this danged party started.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, it belongs to Square-Enix.

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Jun, 8, 2009

Deer Diarie,

Todai is my seveenteeth birdai. My mommy gat me thes 'jornal' su i can c if my bran is inproofin or not. i lave my mom. She is verie nerchuring and nice two eforee one she meats in here soing shop. My dad trid two teech me how two do basick algeebrah todai, but i didn't gat it. i didn't gat it at al. i gues he gat mad and went outside. Wel i em getin tire. i wil rite agan twomarrow.

Accalia puts away her 'diarie', stretches her arms which raises the arms ayes of her thin pink sweater, crawls under her quilt even though it is about one hundred degrees outside and naps. She didn't mean to write like this, it was the best she could do. It was only her and her parents who knew she had a rare disease named Repulsa, where as her knowledge couldn't extend as far as others. No one else could tell that she had this disease though. Even if she was unbelievably pale in a city such as Cocoon, talked slower than most, and often got lost in the streets when walking alone, no one would have suspected her to be a victim of such a disease.

Beyond her bedroom door was a hard-working mother named Natalee. After rinsing the dishes, she slumped back onto a wooden rocking chair. It had barely peaked noon and yet she was so _tired _already. Resting on the chair for ten minutes, she subsequently went in her Accalia's room to check on her daughter. Inside, she saw a female with her light brown hair slobbering all over her pillow, arms flailing everywhere, and her body half dropping off the small bed. Natalee smiled, and thought, 'I have the most _adorable_ daughter ever' and closed the door ever so slightly not to wake up Accalia.

While Natalee crossed the hallway, she saw Marcellus, her husband that isn't much of a father…or a husband.

"So…" Marcellus slurred. "where is our kook of a daughter?"

Natalee's face hardened immediately. "Sleeping. What do you expect? For her to still be trying in her studies? You made her wake up at dawn, and try at math problems she had never _seen _before. Then if she asks you for help, you just snarl at her and tell her that she is part of the Quintin family, and she should try herself, not ask others for help."

Marcellus' blood-shot eyes quickly rose to Natalee's. "This…is how people learn. But I guess since _your _daughter can't learn like that, she's not good enough to be like other people."

Natalee widened her eyes in fury. "_My _daughter? You mean _our _daughter. Remember? Oh wait…you've been _drinking. _Thus alcohol has ruined your personality and brain. It's pretty stupid how you're insulting _our _daughter."

Being so enraged, he had taken the nearest pottery and threw it at the marble floor, smashing it into a million pieces. It was a piece made by Accalia back when she was only 6 years young. "Only _remarkable _people are allowed to take under the Quintin name. So that means that _your _daughter and _yourself _aren't allowed to be in my family." Marcellus stated that statement with a sneer, feeling victorious.

Natalee had gasped of the scene. There were times when he had assaulted her with vicious verbal insults, but never has he gone this far. "well then…don't be in this family."

"HAH! I never thought you would have said it!"

"Go and pack your belongings."

"I don't need to pack them, you need them more than I do! Go sell them for money, I don't want you both to die here of poverty just because I left you." Marcellus had then slammed the door, shaking the entire house.

At a time like this, it had taken all of control Natalee's control not to run after him and murder him. She stared down at the colorful what used-to-be vase. Natalee hadn't realized that the noise had woken up Accalia.

"Hey, mom!" Accalia said cheerfully, unaware of what had just happened.

"Hi darling…are you still sleepy?"

"Not anymore…I just heard all this noise- WHOA! WHO BROKE MY VASE?!"

"Oh!" Natalee hadn't realized that her daughter had seen the evidence from the argument, trying to cover it up, she said, "it was just me being clumsy…I accidentally knocked it over while I was cleaning. I'm sorry…will you forgive me?" said Natalee in a light mood.

"Of course mom! A little piece of art like this isn't worth getting mad at you." Accalia then let out a huge grin.

Glad that her daughter hadn't gotten a clue about recently, Natalee decided to switch to another topic. "Why don't you go to Caius' house today? He hadn't seen you in nearly a week. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you"

"Oh sure!" Caius was a good friend of Accalia, he stood by her side whenever people were bullying her, gave her helpful advices, and always offered his home to her. Accalia used her fingers to brush the ruffled mess on top of her head, though only making it slightly better. "I'll go right now!" She opened the door and closed it gingerly, then skipped across the crowded street, unintentionally bumping into others, but always yelled out a sorry to the people she knocked over. Accalia daydreamed while she slowly galloped across the pedestrians, smiling at all the good times that Caius and her had. He was truly her friend- and someone she liked.

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WHOO! That took LONG to type! No worries everyone, I'm going to add Noctis ;] but please, review this story and I'll think about continuing it.


	2. Chapter 2

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Okay, so since I tried to edit my work. I accidentally deleted this chapter. I'm hoping that this redone chapter is close to the original second chapter (maybe even better :D). I got to admit, I was very pissed when this happened—but then my friends had cheered me on. Now, I hope you enjoy this new chapter :]

Disclaimer: Must you remind me every time that I don't own anything of Square?

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Skipping across the vegetable plants, Accalia occasionally bent down to pick wildflowers. Everytime she did, her knee-length skirt scattered on the dirt, staining her apparel and black flats. She didn't care though—the soil reminded her of the good times she helped her mother with planting Freesias and Gardenias.

Dropping his hoe, Caius took off his thick gloves and wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his palm.

'_15 more minutes…and I'm out of this hell hole'_

In a vastness, he could see a human figure. He squinted to look; it was hard to see in the shining sun. Identifying the person, he yelled out "Accalia! Over here!" and jogged over to her.

Giving him one of her famous dimpled-smile, it suddenly turned into a frown.

"Caius you okay? You're so dirty..." she took a handkerchief from her dress pocket and dabbed his tanned face, earning his as-natural-as-possible smile in reply.

"Sorry I haven't been seeing you; I've been working this job for money."

Accalia scratched her head. "Mon...ney? don't your parents have a lot of that?"

Taking in three seconds to understand that sentence, he finally responded. "My _'rents_ do, but I don't."

Out of curiosity she inquired another question.

"Well…why do you need money anyway?"

He turned her to face the mountains, pointing at an immense, burgundy construction on a hill; Elegant in so many ways, slightly rusted, and consisted of roman design.

"That, right there, is Cocoon University: the most prestigious University in the entire city—country even. My goal is to go there someday." He smiled at the thought. Certain he was going to make it, conceited thoughts filled his head. Little did he know, a person as him in reality could do _less_ than what he had pictured in his mind.

Accalia didn't understand most of what he had said, but not wanting to disappoint him, she played along the conversation. "whatever you do, Caius I support you."

He beamed at her; one of the fewest things he would do to her genuinely.

He ran a hand through his glistening dirty-blonde hair"Now go sit somewhere over there. If my boss sees me not doing work, I'm going to get in a lot of trouble." Caius pointed at a local shed. Directed, Accalia waltz toward the shady area and sat at a backless foldable chair. She observed intently the handsome man treading the dirt.

Feeling that her daughter is in good hands, Natalee decided to take a stroll around town. She decided to settle in a small snack bar—with exterior windows and door completely made of clear glass. Noises of commoners chatting and cans frequently sliding on the marble tables exploded in the air. A lanky waiter walked her direction.

"Can I take your order?"

"One Arizona green tea"

The waiter left in a jiffy, pushing past the undying crowds. Natalee took this time to lean her back on the chair and relax.

Outside the shop was a man wearing dark sunglasses who was overlooking the frenzy-crossing pedestrians and into the drink shop; More specifically, at Natalee. Reaching for his cell phone in his tanned khakis, he dialed a number confidently and uttered a quick "Got her." The mysterious man proceeded to walk into the refreshment shop.

A pair of crystal blue eyes that had been looking intently at Natalee's back burned her skull. Curious, she decided to cautiously turn back and discover what had been her peeve. Fear had made it hard for her, though. Taking a deep breath, she swiftly turned her head, turquoise eyes meeting a stubby bearded man—his plain T-shirt and khakis showed informality. He realized she was staring back at him, thus responding with a slight wave and a villainous smile. Shuddering on the inside, she gulped down her fear and half-smiled at him. Rotating back around, she could hear her vivid heartbeat in her ears, pulsing so much it pained her.

He abruptly took the seat in her same table, across from her. Taking note of her fear, he gave out another smile—this time not as evil. He wanted to assure Natalee that he meant no harm—and it worked: she was less frightened.

"Hi there, miss."

Natalee glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"If you're here to pick up easy women, you've come to the wrong place."

Shocked and hurt, he released a small gasp and placed his right hand at his heart.

"Lady! I'm not here to pick you up…although you can _always _take a U-turn up my wing." He raised his eyebrows twice, failing emphasizing that he was "suave". So much for smooth lines…

For fun, she pretended to be enticed with his moves. In reality, she could never fall for someone who's _name _she doesn't even know.

"You know…you remind me _so _much of my ex-husband…"

Chuckling nervously the man decided to use a line he's been saving up for a moment like this. He use one hand to brush the top of his short spikey hair and continued:

"Well then, you ex-husband must be very, _very _hot."

Natalee smiled at the reply.

"No…it just means that you are A CUNNING, DEVIOUS, DESPICABLE LITTLE RAT!" she hastily grabbed her purse from the chair next to her and began to leave.

'_Oh no! She's leaving-*gasp* if I never find her again boss can SO fired my ass.'_

The panicky man did what he thought would make her frozen on her step. He cleared his throat, preparing himself to say three words following.

"Accalia. Charity. Quintin."

This man was intelligent enough to accentuate every syllable, making her stagger on her last step before the door and marvel at how he knew her daughter.

She automatically retreated back to her seat, interested in how he knew…

"…How did you know?"

"Hi, I'm Acario" he grinned and handed out his hand. To his dismay, she didn't shake it.

"You're not answering my question."

Acario exhaled, a sign of giving in. "I'm from a research company that keeps track of people like Accalia—people who have Repulsa. We are trying to find a cure for that disease, using Crystals."

"First of all, what are these Crystals, and what is the name of this company?"

"Crystals are mystical products that could create wonders, ranging from cities to cure for injuries. We want to see if it can help others with Repulsa. If it does, then your daughter can live a normal life, do normal things, et cetera. And by the way, the name of our company is confidential until you agree to do this with us."

"I don't quite believe that someone dressed like _you_ could be trusted so easily."

"Hey, come on now…"

Two arctic fragile hands touched the shoulders of Natalee.

"Mom!"

Natalee greeted the two with a grin, ignoring the presence in front of her.

She faced Caius. "Thank you for taking care of her for the day."

"No problem…I'll escort her home now."

Accalia slightly cocked her head to the side. "Es…cort?"

Slightly irritated, he responded as he would to questions like these, "It just means to take you home."

"Ohh…" she stated quietly, ashamed she didn't know.

As Natalee watched the pair leave, she thought more about the situation. That is, until a voice scared her. She nearly forgot about the acquaintance in front of her

"So what do you think?"

"…I don't know now."

Acario searched in his pants, seeking for a neatly folded piece of paper.

"Take a look at this contract. Then meet me back here in ten days to tell me what you think."

He scooted out of his seat and left the population-shrinking shop.

Eyes glancing mindlessly over the contract, she then left for home, also.

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I hope this chapter was a better chapter than before. I encourage reviews too :]


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so this would be the third chapter coming up for Strong Spirit, Weak Mind. I'm also going to settle the fact that I'll attempt to update one chapter every week. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and Happy Chinese New Years to all my friends :D. Have fun receiving red pockets.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Final Fantasy, it belongs to Square-Enix. I doubt any of us on here do :)

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_Jun 9_

_yastardai waz d nicess dai evar. aftar caius walked mi to mai hom, he kissed mi on d cyde off mai face. Tat nite must haf ben too hunderad dgrees cause mai face waz on fyer aftar. i didn't car tho, i waz reali hapi. tat nite, i askd mommy were waz daddy, cause he wood com hom be for twlfe. mai mom stoped washin duh dishs for a wile, than sad tat sinse daddy cars bout us su hes goin two work for a wile, and he wans mi two studi sum mor. he reali cars bout us. i rimembar seing tat weird man talkin two mom today. i hop hi didn't hert her, or im gonna fine him and beet him up._

_and i lave u, dad._

_ps. i dink tis jornal iz helpin mi improof!_

Accalia held her beloved writing tablet and tool with her two miniscule velvet hands, shoving it in her oak elegant drawer. Within that drawer, she pulled out a vibrant magazine that had caught her eyes for the day. Flipping the pages violently, passing the well-dressed women, she paused at a certain page. Page 27. It enclosed of a woman and man, happily waltzing across a sun-filled, every-flower-imaginable garden. The woman wore a strapless beaded top and a simple hooped flow bottom dress with a small tiara arranged on her head. on the left of the page was a man who wore a tie-less coat embedded with two buttons furthermore accompanied with a silky black undershirt, with additional loose dusk-colored pants. Accalia ogled at the couple, appearance and all.

It was a bridal magazine.

From downstairs, Natalee was alerted with a tumbling noise, following from the room above her head, Accalia's room, that then lead to the mahogany stairs in front of Natalee's eyes. Accalia had sped through the entire house like an extremely hyper dog that had just taken a shower. As she ran over the stairs, taking two steps at a time, she slipped, falling chest-forward onto the chilly wooden floors of the home. A panicked, emergency-kit-carrying mother arrived shortly at Accalia's side.

"Accalia! You know _better _than to run around the house like that! What is it you have to show me that caused you to run like this?!" preached Natalee as she dabbed a sanitary wipe on a cut on Accalia's cheek. It was shaped like a semicircle.

Accalia sorely held up the same magazine she had been reading earlier, index finger bookmarking page 27. Natalee read the title of the paperback article. "…Wedding Perfection"

Accalia nodded vigorously for two seconds, then realized something. "…That's really what it says?? Well, you do learn something new every day" smiled Accalia, blessed that she learned something today. _'Daddy would be pleased!' _Opening to her bookmarked page, she showed Natalee the fairy-tale pair.

"Look mom! Look at how pretty they look! Can I have her dress?"

"Uhh," stuttered Natalee. Never in her lifetime has she prepared for an answer to this question. She stared at the label, 'Roen' knowing that these clothing piece would cost a lot of money. They might as well rip her purse away from her if she ever buys it.

"Well, look over here, Accalia." Natalee pointed under the Roen label, where the price was. "why don't you read it."

"...Dollar sign…three…two…two…three." Accalia had learned symbol of a dollar sign due to constantly visiting Natalee's clothes selling/sewing shop. More knowledge to her.

"What does that tell you?"

"This dress cost three-two-two-three dollars…right?"

"Yep, now do you think mom has enough money to pay that much for what you want?"

"No…" Accalia lowered her bottom lip, tears filling her sea green eyes and threatening to leak if she blinked.

Natalee sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. Listen, I'll make this up to you, I'll sew you something pretty in my shop, okay?"

Accalia half-smiled, respecting that her mother tries to make her happy. To boast up her heartrending, she decided to go to Caius', again.

"I'm gonna go to Caius today mom! I love talking to him. I'll be back before din-dins, her way of saying 'dinner'"

"wait, don't you think you're bothering him too muc-"

The door clicked before she finished her sentence.

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Galloping across the deep tracks created by herself yesterday, she paved the way to Caius. An idea popped into her head just as she saw a blonde someone readying his gardening tool. Strolling through the tomato plants, she inched towards the farming-wanting-to-be-a-doctor. Right when he would take his first swing at the soft soil, Accalia stood behind his back and stated in a high voice:

"Caius!"

That caused the hoe to miss the dirt and land right on Caius' ankle.

"UGH! SHIT!" yelped Caius.

Blood leaked rapidly from Caius' ankle like a broken faucet. Accalia's grin faded and evolved into a appalled look as soon as she saw the accident she caused.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" gasped Accalia in a panicked tone.

"Don't _touch me_!"

Accalia bit her bottom lip while she watched Caius limp towards the folding chair of which she sat on yesterday. He laid he foot on the chair as he ripped off a cloth from the bottom of his T-shirt and wrapped it tight around the injured area. Still, Accalia went to him, even though she had caused so much trouble for him.

Gentle eyes met glaring ones.

"C-Caius…you okay?"

"I'm just fine." With those words, he went into a wooden cottage, asking his boss for the day-off due to being disabled. Then, he left the fields, hobbling on home. Yet again, Accalia followed him, remorseful of what she had done.

Amongst the crowded streets was a summer festival. Caius swerved over many people, with Accalia following behind.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." He tried his best to hide his temper.

"Rest a while when you go home, okay?"

"Fine."

"I'm sorry."

"It's…okay." Caius struggled not to raise his voice.

Accalia squeezed her hands on Caius' arms to comfort him, only to have him pull away quickly. There was a big black bruise of where she held him.

"You gots to be more careful, Caius"

Suddenly, he broke out.

"What gives you the right to tell me what to do?"

"…Huh?" stated a flabbergasted female.

Caius threw his head back and chuckled twice. "God…you know how _stupid _you can sound sometimes?"

"Stu…pid?" that was a word that Marcellus said many a times to Accalia.

"You could be such a pain in the ass at times too. Why the hell do you bother me all the time? I'm so SICK and TIRED of having to deal with you." Accalia's eyes felt as if many of her mother's sewing needles had stabbed them.

"I remember defending you from insults when we were younger; I _loathed _being made fun of just for protecting you. I should have let the other kids make fun of you!"

Accalia widened her eyes in disbelief and sorrow.

"I-I'm…sorry…" Accalia reached for his hands, hoping to calm him down. Caius only pushed her down on the dirt ground with great force, earning the eyes of many bystanders that formed a circle around the soap opera. It got harder for Accalia to breathe through her nose, and a tear had flown along her cheek.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP WITH THE SORRIES!" screamed Caius on the top of his lungs. "You-you ruin me physically! I can't always do whatever I want because I have to take care of you! And no one likes you! The city—no, no, the _world _would be better off without you! NEVER, EVER, EVER FIND ME AGAIN!" After ranting, Caius stormed off as fast as he could with a wounded ankle, relieved from releasing ten years of bottled-up feelings.

The crowd murmured and slightly pointed at Accalia.

'_My my! A woman burdening a man, shame on her!'_

'_Does she deserve to live?!'_

'_I sure hope she never encounters us!'_

Her heart tore with every one of those sharp insults. The earth spun at a high speed, dizzying Accalia and filling her with nausea. She crawled on her knees, and by luck, found her way back home.

Accalia attempted to sneak upstairs to her room, avoiding her mother. Unfortunately, her mother had seen her.

"Hi 'Calia, how was seeing Caius."

No response.

"…'Calia?"

Eerie silence stood by.

Finally, Natalee put her hands on Accalia's shoulders, turning her around and being faced by a tear-stained face.

"What happened?!"

"Ma…does anyone…like me?"

Trifled with such a question, Natalee strained to answer in a kind way. "Of course! There's me, Caius,"

"Caius doesn't like me no more."

Stunned, Natalee remained tranquil. "Well, what happened?"

"I made him hurt himself." Sniffed Accalia. "And he said a bunch of things I don't know…and he didn't want to see me anymore."

"Mom, I really, really, really like him." Tears flown from her eyes profusely again. "My heart hurts after what Caius said…what is this bad feeling?"

Natalee strived to not cry, and crashed her daughter into her shoulders. "It's called a heartbreak, sweetie."

"Mom, why is it called a heartbreak, when your entire body hurts?" said Accalia through a muffled voice.

"Ma…I want to be smart, I don't want to hurt people. Ma, why can't I be smart?" By this time, they were both shedding tears.

Natalee lifted Accalia from her shoulders. "You know what? I think I can make you smart."

"Really?!" asked a suddenly overjoyed Accalia.

"Yep! Hold on, I'll make you smart, fast."

Accalia answered with a quick nod, wiped her tears away, and ran to her room. Natalee dug all over the house, all through the dressers, table tops, counters, until she found a white piece of paper.

She gazed at the contract for hours.

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Aww, that poor girl. Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will be making the next one soon. Bye bye now :)


	4. Chapter 4

Woot! One review in a chapter! *does the wave*. Since I'm in a fairly good mood, I will start to type the next chapter. I will try to make this as exciting as it should be. [Although I think this would be one of the boring ones…] Thank you to all that have appreciated this story though. Why don't you all take a look at our other stories?

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Versus XIII…only for Square-Enix [psst, not even Noctis.]

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June 18, 2009

The sun shining through the windowpane in front of Acario's bed was burst-neon orange. It was only nine o'clock in the morning too. Sunshine reflected off of his gold face and was providing him first-degree burn. Tip-toeing his fingers to a string that would release window blinds that would protect him from the light, he failed miserably and continued to suffer from the deadly bright star. It was not until seven minutes after that he had rose up from his bed, tired of the burning sensation.

Facing his month calendar, italicized numbers and lines forming boxes that symbolize each day, he noticed something.

Something circled in a bold crimson marker.

Acario cocked his head to some extent, unsure of what today was supposed to be.

'_Eh? Is today a co-worker's party? Uhh…mom and dad's anniversary? No, that's not it. What the hell IS today?!' _he scratched his head once, twice. Finally Acario released an exaggerated sigh of hopelessness.

A florescent light bulb popped from his head.

"OH, CRAP! HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN MY THIRTY-SIXTH BIRTHDAY?!" he lightly smacked the side of his head as he suppressed his huge grin. Acario slept-walked to his refrigerator, having his feet slapping against the wintry marble floor of his rat-sized apartment. Raiding his refrigerator, he dug out the last chocolate cupcake he's retained for his birthday. He placed the dessert on his desk, lit a half-burnt candle, and poised it on top of the cupcake. Acario touched his hands together, closed his eyes, and held his mouth in a straight line, stopping himself from smiling. Five seconds later, he subsequently blew out his candles, and grin, having faith that his wish _would _come true.

'_I…wish to get a date soon.'_

Consuming his cupcake in 4 bites, a soothing song can be heard.

'_I want to swim away but don't know how. Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean'_

Acario snatched his cell phone from the table, pressing the button that said 'accept call'.

"Hey…" he stated, taking a stab at being seductive.

"…what the hell was that?" replied the phone, a deep male voice.

Acario continued without thinking. "That's me in my normal voi-"

Then, it sunk it. "oh, OH! Hey…Tyrus. Sorry about that. At first I thought it was one of the chicks calling me again, you know how clingy they can get." He verbalized while he strokes his hand through his hair, trying to sound cool.

"Yeah, right."

"Anyways, do you know what _day_ today is, ol' buddy ol' pal?" Acario exclaimed, beaming and hoping that his friend would remember his birthday.

Tyrus scratched his head for a while. "Umm…a new episode of _American Idol_?"

"No no…think harder, dude!"

Over the line, groans of dismay and more scratching of his head can be heard; signs that show that Tyrus is _really_ thinking.

"Ugh, you know what man, never mind" pronounced Acario, softly slapping his forehead. His own friend can't remember his birthday. "Well, what'd you call me for?"

Thankful that Acario wasn't pressing on the earlier question, he tried to remember what he was supposed to say to Acario. This time, he didn't struggle as much. "Boss told me to call you because he couldn't reach you." Sounds of a piece of paper unraveling can be heard. "He's asking why don't you have the test product yet? How much longer is it going to take you to get her? We must get her here immediately if we want to make money fast. If you don't want to get fired, get the girl within three days to our place" recited Tyrus.

A tidal wave of flashbacks rushed to Acario.

'_June 8th…met Natalee….her mother…Accalia Charity Quintin…now June 18th…ten days later.'_

"Hold on, I'll talk to you later." He shut his cell phone loudly and grabbed a coat, placing it on his shoulders. Silently, he took the nearest tie he could reach, which was black with red polka dots. He shut his apartment door, and headed off to the streets.

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Well, anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter as long as I took to write it. I'm so sorry for not updating in a while *clasp hands for forgiveness*. I had such a busy weekend, and it's only going to get worse. Please check out all our other stories though :]

Bye now.


	5. Chapter 5

Argg... I had a hell of a week. Let's see, I had literally five tests, studying my butt off. The weather wasn't warm like I'd hope :[ and I'm having writer's block-like moments. I have a question though, in this world, they worship the 'Goddess Etro', right? Do tell me so :] Now you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: 'Tutu' is does not own anything of Final Fantasy, Square doesn't even know her (T.T) She is not trying to make any profits from this, but is very, very thankful for the reviews.

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Tapping his fingers on the cool, marble table in a fast-paced rhythm, Acario put his bottom lip over his top lip, and blew; the air sending his bangs in a flurry. Craning his neck backwards, Acaro stared at the circular porcelain clock above him. Five minutes. Five minutes had passed since he arrived in this tiny refreshment shop.

'…_Why am I always so impatient?'_

Sick of sitting still, he decided to tip his four-legged chair slightly backwards; Something he did an awful lot back in his teenage days. Acario extended his arms in front of him, maintaining balance on the back two legs of his chair. Failing to be poised, Acario thrust his arms, grasping the air for support. Again, he failed, feared, and fell.

More like crashed, really.

Dizzily looking up from the ground, the image of a dirty-blonde woman with a rolled white paper in her left hand appeared before his eyes. Her eyebrows sew together and her turquoise eyes glance over Acario semi-frantically.

"You're looking… kinda pretty" smiled Acario, sounding a little bit cracklier than what he had hoped. Ahh, times of pre-pubescent childhood days run through his mind when he hears his voice.

"Yeah, right" Natalee extended her bony arm towards Acario, offering help back on his feet.

'_Is that…a smile I see from her?'_

"Can you pull up your pants, please?"

Acario looked down at his pants. They were half-off, exposing his red boxers. His undergarment was spotted with red chili peppers, and occasionally filled with the words 'I'm so hot' or 'can't touch this'. This just redefined embarrassment.

"Aw, man!" he grumbled as he pulled up his pants. Will he ever wear baggy pants twice his size again?

Natalee laughed out loud. "No…don't be ashamed. You're probably the only man that has made me laughed this hard."

Acario forced his lips in a straight line, not grinning. He was so, so proud of himself.

Sitting down on a nearby table, awkward silence wisps the air.

"So….you going to let your daughter do this?"

Natalee clenched her paper. "First, I have questions." She bit her bottom lip lightly. "Is this…completely safe?"

"…I got to be honest, no."

Just as she stood up, readying herself to leave, Acario slightly leapt himself across the table, catching her at her wrist and shocking the nearby drink consumers.

"Wait! I didn't say that it wasn't going to be safe at _all!_ You want more than anything for your daughter to achieve things on her own right?! Think about this again!"

She sat back down after he pleaded, contract crumpled in her fist. "What will the process be?"

"Easy. We have an injection needle of the Crystals. We'll just inject that into her temple, let her rest, allow her to read some things, and voila, done."

"…Is it going to hurt her?"

"Hey, no pain, no gain."

"This is going to work, you swear?" Natalee slowly handed her signed contract to Acario

"You have to take chances." He softly snatched the paper from her. "but I give you my word, it's going to work. You _do _trust me, don't you?"

Natalee softly smiled, feeling more secure. "I wonder _if _I can…"

"That's a good 'nough answer" he grinned. "Now," he pulled out a card labeled 'CRP', took Natalee's hand, and laid it on. "You and your daughter meet at this address tomorrow morning."

She nodded once and left.

Walking home, she began to think happy thoughts repeatedly.

'_It's going to work. Accalia will be successful. She will live out her full potential. She will show Caius what he had lost.'

* * *

  
_

Whoa. I actually think I could have written better. Sorry for the two semi-fluff chapters in a row. This is all because I haven't written in two weeks :'[ Anyways, I appreciate reviews and I support Natalee and Acario :]


	6. Chapter 6

I have GOT to stop those procrastination days (I'm talking about my partner also…shh) Sorry to everyone who had been waiting for this next chapter, I had stressful weeks :/ I hope you enjoy this chapter, and think it's worth the wait.

By the way, I change the year of this story to '09.

Disclaimer: You don't know how it hurts not to have anything of Noctis *sniff*

* * *

Hiking over a colossal grass filled hill, Natalee placed her right hand on her forehead, peering out for any sights of nearby building. Following twenty feet behind was a tired panting female who plunged onto the soft plants due to exhaustion. By luck, Natalee saw a black building straight across. Diminutive in size due to the distance between.

"Mom…let's take a…break…… please?"

"Break? No! We were _strong _enough to move this far. Look!" Natalee turned Accalia to face the lower grounds, more importantly, the hazy building. "We're only that far from it. Didn't you want to be smart so very badly?" Natalee roofed her eyes with her hand and inspected the position of the sun, Accalia following suit. One of the two performed this stroke to determine how much time they had left; the other of the two had just copied the stance, wondering why she was doing this. It's should be right in your sight who is who.

Accalia immediately bolted up from the soil, swiftly pumped with energy and excitement. She was this close to her life-twisting moment, and wasn't going to let time fritter away meaninglessly.

"What're we waiting for?! Let's go mom!" she tugged firmly but kindly to Natalee's wrists en route for the edifice remote from inhabitants in Cocoon.

Natalee was devoured with pride; the ancestors in her family dominated great will-power, and of course, strength. Accalia was no diverse. Some of their relatives were mannered a sufficient amount to treat Accalia like an equal human being—though a noticeable amount of family members scoff at her obtuse actions and intimidate her with questions such as "What grades do you get in classes?" and "What universities do you plan to attend?"

Being halfway to their destination, the malicious scorching sun beat down on Natalee and she dropped on the grass, exhausted. Accalia broadened her eyes in alarm.

"Mom! You okay?!" delicate hands rapidly shook the shoulders of the fainted. A concerned look rained on Accalia's face, appearing as if it will never depart unless Natalee is awakened. Obscure eyes commence to open. The corners of Natalee lips curved upward.

"Silly Accalia…I'm fine. I'll _always _be fine." Natalee patted her daughter on her head thrice, then stumbled to get up. Dehydration saturated her and the sight of the more-nearby building swirled. A migraine was forming. She lurched one stride forward, preserving her balance.

Accalia shook her head briskly. She _knew _her mother could not carry on like in this status. Accalia squatted down, acknowledging what she thought needed to be done.

"…What are you doing sweetie?"

"I'm gonna carry you all the way there." It was a response said with childish determination.

"I'm much too heavy-"

"No, Mom. Let me do this. You did this ALLLL the time when I was little. Let me do this back to you. You look tired anyway."

Natalee exhaled nosily and climbed onto Accalia's back. She could feel her stumble in her steps, but Accalia presented her effort entirely and never dropped Natalee.

'_Accalia does too much for me. TOO much…'_

"Just head on straight, honey." Natalee pointed her index finger in front.

Eventually, they reached their intentional place. Accalia lowered Natalee to the ground. They both pushed away the black sleek doors and entered the building, twisting their destiny forever.

Ahead of two pairs of turquoise and sea-green eyes, lay a straight and thin, seemingly never-ending hallway. The golden ceiling spotlights occasionally illuminated the mahogany carpeting that coated every square inch of the floor. The round, dangling light bulbs were the only source of radiance in this chilly and dark-aura corridor, forming the gleam in the ebony marble wall and reflecting against the fatigue faces.

As the duo staggered across the hall, it felt as if the world stopped turning and no one—besides them two—nothing made a sound at that period of time. The sounds they created were _very_ vociferous to their ears; their heart pulsed in their eardrums so loud it was painful; intense breathing echoed back and forth the compact walkway; long fingernails scrape adjacent to the cool granite. Reaching the end of their voyage, Natalee inhaled a gasp of air-conditioned oxygen, held her daughter's hand, and pushed past the last pair of doors that would lead them, once again, to humans again.

This room is even darker.

It took a minute for their straining eyes to adjust to the little-to-no lighting. The only source of luminosity in this eerie room was a dimmed sunlight derived from the open window at the top-back wall. Over a square ventilation fan, faintly squeaking sporadically, it illuminated directly at the identical scarlet carpeting in front of Natalee and Accalia, bringing about their pitch-black flats worn on sore feet. By a worthy-hypothesis—the ventilation fan was installed because of a smoker—a cigar could be seen dipping in a gold ashtray; the fan didn't help—distinct scents of second-hand smoke still lingered in the air.

Speaking of cigars, one couldn't be lit without someone to smoke it, no?

A hooded man, the boss, presumably, seated himself on a leather chair behind a vast russet office-table on the center of the enclosed area. His jade eyes flickered to the women's direction, noting their exterior. Acario stood at the left side of the room, leaning against the wall like the good guard he was supposed to be. He placed his hand on his heart, releasing his breath which seemed to be held in for hours. He was happy. He was not going to get killed by "Boss".

The twosome heaved forward, positioning the signed contract on the table so that it was facing Mr. Mysterious. He immensely studied the signature, all real, true, and forever sealed with black ink. Tilting his head, he allowed a lone eye to examine the pair more thoroughly. The window illuminated the glossy doors in which the guests have recently entered from, reflected in return back to the man and made his eye gleam. That intermittent light penetrated the ones looking at him, and ignited shivers down their spine.

"Since you signed his contract," he stated bleakly, "it means you're going to come up with the money, right?"

Confusion crammed Natalee's _and _Acario's head, whilst Accalia's eyes wandered aimlessly around the peculiar room. Natalee's eyebrows sew together.

"M-money? There was no mention of money."

"Oh? Then it must be Ol' Acario's fault here." The covered man chuckled, earning an angered glare from Acario himself. He slowly tugged the top right drawer of his desk, and smacked another pasty colored paper on top of the original contract. It had merely a small segment typed on bold font, emphasizing the importance of this sentence.

'_Subject who agrees to participate in the Crystal Intelligence development will be obliged to paying Crystal Research Productions an amount of one million dollars .If unsuccessful to do so, subject may suffer calamitous consequences.'_

A pair of eyes broadened in disbelief. _Numerous _of inquiries sprinted across her mind.

'_How come I didn't know about this? Why do I have to pay? They mentioned money in this? Would I ever be able to pay for it?'_

"Tick _tick, _Mrs. Quintin. Don't leave my question hanging…" The cloaked man smirked. Her reactions were just as he expected. His tone of voice had absolutely _no_ sympathy for her situation, for what did he have to feel gloomy for? _He _was going to receive the money, anyway.

Another moment passed with the squeaky fan accompanying the silence. Abruptly, she answered in a straight pitch.

"I…signed the agreement already…I…will try to find a way to make up for the money."

"_Great_ choice," he sneered, acquiring even the annoyance of Acario. "Acario, you know what to do, don't you, _lapdog_?"

Acario nodded and gritted his teeth. There were times when his boss felt oh-so-victorious that he treated literally everyone as if they were two-inches tall. He came to Accalia and softly grasped her wrist, leading her to a tatty, dog-eared bed in the corner of the room. He commanded her to sit, and sit she did. Acario unbuckled the lustrous suitcase he had been carrying since the start of the conversation. Removing a syringe from the suitcase, Accalia gasped at the length of the needle. Acario looked at her with empathy.

"Close your eyes. It'll be over before you know it." Natalee mouthed the words 'thank you'

Accalia nodded twice.

He viewed the syringe at sunlight and like a doctor, pushed the needle to test if it worked correctly. The needle squirted dangerously, silently injecting more terror into the poor girl.

"Best of luck to you, alright?" he whispered.

As the needle inched closer, Accalia fainted.

* * *

_One Month Later_

_July 19, 2009_

_I remember that day that I received the injection. I don't quite recall what had happened in the conversation, though. I was too busy staring into clear space as the idiot I was. I only remember that I was told to read as many books as I could when I got home, to absorb all information I can. The injection was a success; I finally realize that there is much, much more to life and mankind as I used to believe. I review the works that I have done in the past on this diary and I shiver, as to how I was. I commiserate for others that had me involved in their lives—Caius, and mother. I now help my mother with her sewing shop, calculating taxes, advertizing, etcetera .I shall rest now; I have a full day of work tomorrow at the shop.

* * *

_

So, so sorry for not having updating. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and I am tired as hell. Please review and I will update faster :] That's not a promise though.

Over&out


	7. Chapter 7

Welcome!

So it's been what, three weeks since I've updated? I apologize for it, *sad face* but I must tell you, I WAS going to let this story drop dead, and remove it. I couldn't exactly pinpoint where to go next in my story. Then, I started to re-read the reviews all of you have given me, and I was thinking, _'Now, I can't do this to my reviewers, this is too cruel!' _Thus, I'm keeping this up until then. *small smile*

Disclaimer: What? Do I look like Tetsuya Nomura to you?

* * *

Accalia finished scripting the final few letters in her memoir for the day. She closed the book soothingly for longer preservation of one of her most treasured items. Situating her pen aside, she transported herself to her land of relaxation. Snuggling under, the corners of her lips lifted. She thought about all the possible things she could do now, and how providential her life was. As tired as she was, she needn't to count sheep to drift to sleep.

At the shop, the amount of customers was moderate, but most came in here for the shade from the scorching sun. They examined the various cloths and clothing pieces, and one man in particular was raising tension in the room.

"What is the price for this cloth piece?" The man pulled out silky fabric swathed around a soaring cardboard pole among the towering assorts of textiles.

"About fifteen dollars (U.S. currency) per yard, sir" responded Natalee swiftly.

"What?!" The middle-aged man's brown eyes were threatening to pop out. "Are you trying to take my money?!" His hand roamed through his left pocket and he yanked out a handful of change. "Eight-fifty or nothing, lady."

Startled, Natalee endeavored to change his mind. "Uhh—but sir, this type of cloth is imported—straight from Pulse! And-"

"I don't give a damn where it came from! I just know you're trying to rip me off. Now do you want the money or not?" People, if you were in Natalee's position, you would make with the offer, wouldn't you? _Some _money is better than _none _at all, right?

Natalee sighed. "Okay, I guess we'll take it your-"

"Hold it" interrupted Accalia. She snatched the feathery and lightweight material that was clearly underpriced from her mother's hands.

"What the hell do you want?!"

Accalia jumped down from the counter. "I've been watching you two. _You're _the one who is trying to take advantage of us."

"Oh shut up, what do you kno-"

"Just look at how these cloths are crafted. It's manufactured with the finest threads, and the design is rare. Fifteen dollars or nothing."

The man proceeded to leave the shop.

"You _do _realize that we're the only fabric shop in Cocoon, right? You can't get cloth from anywhere else."

"…Fine, fifteen dollars, is it?" The man sighed, defeated

Natalee smiled at her daughter, her sales savior.

"I sometimes wonder how you do things like that. You make me so proud." hugged Natalee.

"Oh, I read in a couple of psychology books that you'd have to be as convincing as possible to persuade someone to buy your products. You'd also have to make them believe that we're the best to buy from. Hmm, at this rate we'll be able to pay off the debts to that Crystal Company sooner than we've expected!" Both of them were so joyous at the thought that their grins crinkled their eyes.

"Okay, I'm going to go for a walk now. I'll see you in…an hour?" Accalia quickly pecked her mother on her cheek, took a nearby basket in case she bought items and left in a jiffy.

Natalee contemplated while she worked behind the counter.

"_I'm so happy…before long I won't have to deal with such a thing as the 'Crystal Research Production', then Accalia and I would be able to get on with our lives—with no problems whatsoever."_

Sauntering down the street, Accalia twirled her basket around. She studied her background; jewelry laid out on tables to attract patrons, children running with sweets held in their hands, and the blistering sun which never seems to set down. A precise store had captured Accalia's interest. All of a sudden, she had wandered to the window of the store mindlessly.

Gawking at the mannequins, she observed their flamboyant wardrobes; the one-of-a-kind motif…the attractive shade…and the glimmering sequins. Accalia stepped into the store, taking a closer examination of the magical apparel. Window-shopping was becoming a hobby for her, and how time-consuming it was.

Hours past, as the time was five o'clock in the afternoon now. The rush of customers in the shop had decreased, and the shop was nearing closing time. Each moment the red needle ticks constantly on the colossal clock, it adds concern to Natalee as to where her daughter is at the moment. She paced the store: north five steps, south five steps. Finally, fret had overcome her, and the instant the last person left her shop, she darted outside to find Accalia. She met with floods of amblers—and a rifle.

She glanced left and right, up and down. No sight of Accalia anywhere adjacent. Natalee decided to walk up to nearby strollers and ask if they had seen a "teenage girl carrying a basket". That concluded to be a ravage of valuable time.

Ammunition was loaded into the rifle…

"Excuse me, have you seen…"

The grip of the rifle was grasped…

"She's about this high, and is wearing a skirt." The elderly couple shook their heads in response.

When Natalee was alone, the aim of the gun was focused…

The trigger was deliberately pulled…

And a solitary bullet was fired.

Natalee fell to the ground subsequent to experiencing an acute pain on her temple, earning screams and many pedestrians scurrying for a safe haven. Crucial ruby fluid streamed down her face almost as fast as her tears. Natalee grasped the rocks within hand's reach and formed a fist. Pain struck her everywhere—her head, her heart, and her hand. Her drowsy eyes focused on a familiar figure, and she smiled.

'_She's alive.'_

Petrified by earlier street affairs, Accalia, too had hid away from possible peril. Almost immediately, she detected an incalculable crowd. The horde became the center of gravity, and one-by-one, everyone began to take a glimpse of what was inside. Curiosity indulged Accalia, and she was compelled to follow the gathering.

Small whimpers exited Accalia's mouth, as her eyes amplified in skepticism.

Shambling to the scene, she tumbled aside her mother's lifeless corpse.

Cradling her mother's upper body, salty liquids surged from her eyes like the Nile River. Accalia unlocked her gaze from Natalee's closed eyes and directed her vision to the gossiping audience. She lightly slid Natalee out of her arms, and onto the uncomfortable soil.

"Please! Someone get the paramedics! She could still be saved! Please everyone, please!" she bowed her head down until her forehead touched the crusty earth.

"What, are you fucking stupid?! She's dead already, can't you tell?!" The woman who had said this pulled her nose high into the sky fanning herself thanks to the searing weather , and her clones had followed suit.

"NO! No, she's not dead! Please, can someone just help her?!" Accalia's voice strained, producing a raspy noise. Denial crashed into her like an angry wave, and she refused for it to depart.

She began to crawl on her knees to the audience. Accalia tugged on a man's shirt, hoping for him to provide assistance.

"Get off of me!"

She also inched towards the other members, desperate to find others whose actions would be diverse. Unfortunately, similar reactions were spat at her.

"Why me?"

"What the hell?!"

"What's wrong with you?!"

The crowd soon, but slowly diminished, jaded of Accalia's actions.

She dragged herself back to Natalee. Mixed emotions nibbled at her: anger for whoever has done this, forlorn for such a loss, confusion at why this has happened. Her head swayed at her surroundings, and nausea was just around the corner. Accalia's eyes smoldered from the tears, which had also hardened and tainted her face. Holding her mother's glacial cadaver, she leaned her mouth towards Natalee's ear, and whispered:

"Karma will surely get them back; I'll make sure of that."

* * *

Well…I _was _going to end _here, _but I realized that I have been neglecting you all for too long, and here's a small additional section, just for you all!

-Four years later-

Gloved hands clenched into firm fists collided with a marble table, generating a violent shake felt by his comrades.

"Whoa! Calm down, Noct, don't become the Hulk over _this_."

"Shut up, Claude," the angered Prince scolded at the blonde. "I have hell to pay if I don't get the Crystals back."

Claude sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, don't worry about this! Me and the other two lame-Os will help you figure this out, alright?" He eyed the other two companions, winking.

* * *

And, that's about it for now *smiles*

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Noctis or any Crystals. Remember this is four years later.

* * *

"Excuse me," a man in his early twenties grasped the arm of a prime-aged woman, "but do you want to buy any cloth?" Attired in an open cherry-shaded jacket whose sleeves were pulled just below his biceps, he grinned genuinely—an asset he hoped that could interest his customer in fabric.

The middle-ager had not heard what he had said and mistaken him.

"Get away from me! You…you rapist!" She then proceeded to beat him up with her handy wooden basket, which rained apples and melons within each time she pulverized the poor guy. With one last strike, the woman ran away yelling a hoarsely scream.

Ouch.

Today was a scorching day in a city like Cocoon—one hundred and eight degrees Fahrenheit—but nothing out of the abnormal. Not many dared to travel on the streets to risk a heat stroke, thus pedestrians this late-afternoon were rare and only travelled for necessities.

Accalia swung her legs slightly as she sat down on the glass counter. She cleanly folded thickly-inked thread-like sheets of paper when a recognizable body trotted through the shop.

"Ugh, it's so hot…" The male began to strip down his red insulation as he put emphasis on those four little words, then closed his eyes as he fanned his limbs apart in front of an air conditioner

Glancing at the current events, she placed her thumb under her jaw and her index finger below her bottom lip.

"Felix, don't bother trying to look for shoppers today, if we advertise correctly tomorrow, then that could possibly cover up today's loss."

Exposing his cerulean irises, Felix looked intently at his boss and stridden two steps closer to her.

"But Boss! We haven't had much customers this week, and-"

"Calm down, we basically own a monopoly in a city like this. Just rest for the remainder of the day."

'_Although…we are nearing bankruptcy.'

* * *

_

A black keyboard clacks loudly as a concentrated male researched. Scanning through the data, he rummaged over the information until a specific set of facts had caught his attention.

_Click_

A series of silence from the canvasser had caught the young Prince's attention.

"What's wrong, Eugene?" Noctis stood up from his seat and crept closer to Eugene.

Eugene pushed his pair of glasses further up his nose bridge, and then scrupulously examined the words on his laptop, making sure that this information was the one he needed. He twisted the laptop screen to face Noctis.

On the monitor, it displayed mug shots and side views of a person and a list of basic facts about that person.

_Name: Accalia Charity Quintin_

_Age: 21_

_Height: 5'4"_

_Ethnicity: Latin_

_Residence: A cottage of unknown address nearby Natalee's Cloth, a sewing and cloth shop in Cocoon, a rural city just east of the Kingdom of Caledonia_

_Family: Mother…Decreased, Father…N/A_

_Occupation: Current owner of Natalee's Cloth, occasionally helps others from being cheated of money, goods._

Eugene nodded as he read the details. Little was being handed out, but he had a good feeling about this. This person wasn't well heard of, and couldn't possibly be involved with any businesses—thus; it would be safe to ask her for help. From given data, it seems as if she was smart and kind enough to help others when needed.

"It looks like she's harmless to us and could help us repossess the Crystals again. Do you want me to hire her?"

Noctis placed the edge of his palms on the table and shook his head twice.

"At this point there's really nothing we can do but to hire her." He sighed, yielding a hint of hopelessness in his dialect.

"Well then, I'll go get her right now." Eugene sat up from his chair and walked through the gigantic doors carrying a manila folder between his thumb and index finger. Soon, he left the nearly-always dusky city of Caledonia.

Subsequently watching his comrade leave, Noctis proceeded to leave the room and down a set of spiral stairs. Down, down, and down he went, the cement stairs with massively sized rocks lodged in the steps sporadically being lit by a candle dimmed by watery wax. He finally saw his destination, and strolled over to it.

Punching in an extensive PIN number that Noctis could do so with his eyes closed, The screen beeped once and shone green—a sign that tells the door to the long, vertical, fire safe-like door could be opened now.

Before entering the chamber, Noctis disabled all of the security lasers. Walking closer to a raised ledge in the center of the room, he executed a breath of relieve.

The Crystal was still safe.

Not long after the break-in at the Kingdom and having most of the crystals stolen, the chamber storing the crystals had moved down here in this dungeon-like area, contrary to its original placement in the fifth floor—also known as the highest region in all of the palace.

Noctis cradled the palm-sized gemstone in his hands. It sparkled and had a sapphire radiance to it that made it the most eye-catching thing in the room. The mysterious and powerful Crystals were desired by many empires. He placed it back gently into its pillow surrounding and switched the lasers back on. Noctis double-checked the room, certain that the lone Crystal would be unharmed.

From now on, the checks on the Crystal much like these were even more frequent—ranging from once to twice every half-hour. The Prince can't afford to lose this last Crystal, and has basically given up most of his free time to guard it. Whether or not he loses his life protecting this Crystal or reclaiming the other hundreds of Crystals, being a part of the Caelum family obligates him to do so.

* * *

Multi-tasking amid walking and reading off of his beige folder, he focused on the site in front of him.

'_This must be it...' _Eugene stepped closer to Natalee's Cloth carefully.

Eying a possible purchaser, Felix darted out of the counter to greet Eugene.

"Hi! Are you interested in-"

Eugene brushed on past the advertiser and into the nearly closing store.

Accalia looked at the incomer and almost nonchalantly asked "what do you need?"

Eugene stood erect like a professional speaker should, just as Felix returned and examined him north and south

"The Prince of Caledonia requests for your help to recover the stolen Crystals. I'm sure you have heard about this incident before."

"Just now, actually" Accalia picked up a nearby piece of newspaper that she had read a few hours ago.

"If you help us, Cocoon and Caledonia can be allies, and we will definitely help you if any empire was to attack you."

Accalia smiled at the offer, what a generous one it was! She leaned closer to Eugene, and said a straight-forward "No thank you." Then, she resumed to her seat half-daydreaming.

Eugene remained calm; he would not stop persuading her. After traveling this far, who would?

"You could earn fame, and have a higher status at Caledonia than Cocoon." He stopped to think of other rewards that he could offer to Accalia. "We…could also offer you a cash gif-"

She stood up and faced Eugene in a jiffy after hearing 'cash', shocking both men in the shop.

"Don't worry, I'm not money-minded or anything—I am just facing debt at the moment."

Eugene nodded in awareness, followed by taking out a thick white sheet of paper—more specifically, a contract.

The contract was written in first-person and was short-worded, only partially taking up the eight-by-ten inch document. There was a mistake in capitalization or spelling here and there, suggesting that it was typed in a hurry.

Accalia studied the letter formations at a turtle's pace, ignoring the slip-ups in the contract.

'_I, hearby acknowledge that I will assist prince Notis Lucius caelum in him repossessing the crystals. I will not hinder my help until all of the Crystals have been returned to the caelum Kingdom. I will be loyal and not ucover any information relavent to the Crystals. I can have any reward choice of my own.'_

Below the written work was an 'X' with a line dragged across the page.

"I have one condition—I want to take him with me." Accalia pointed directly at Felix, who then had his happiness sky-rocket and was dancing around, mouthing the words "road trip, road trip!" repeatedly

"The more help, the merrier, I guess," shrugged Eugene.

"He's not _too_ much help, I warn you."

Felix let out a small pout.

Accalia pulled out a black-inked pen and autographed her full name casually while smiling.

'_Funny, a contract was what got me into the debt I now own, and another contract is what will get me out of it.'

* * *

_

Okay, now that was HELL to type. So basically, I twisted up the story a little and made the story have many Crystals instead of one. I also added another OC, (my love of OCs and I…*sigh*) Felix Vetulis. I dedicate this chapter to my partner, Jo, who is supposedly my #1 (and possibly only) fan of this story. *smiles*


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